Notice-board or the like.



No. 722,777. PATENTED MAR.17;'1903.

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F. T. VINE. NOTICE BOARD OR THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 29, 1900.

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F.'T. VINE. NOTICE BOARD 0R THELIKE.

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PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK T. VINE, OF CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND.

NOTICE-BOARD OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,777, dated March 17,

Application filed December 29, 1900. Serial No. 41,526. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK THOMAS VINE, a subject of the Queen of England, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Cambridge, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Notice-Boards or the Like, (for which I have made application for Letters Patent in Great Britain, dated October 2, 1900, numbered 17,4=40,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to notice-boards and other articles of a like nature upon which it is desired to place notices, pictures, designs, &c., a special feature of this invention'being that the notice, of whatever nature, can be readily changed whenever required. I will describe the invention as an advertisement or notice board upon which letters, numbers, &c., would be used.

The board consists of any desired number of bars or equivalent placed edge to edge and provided with a screw or other equivalent device by which the. bars can be drawn together or released or separated. Each letter or other device to be used in conjunction with this board is provided at top and bottom or any other suitable part with one or more (preferably thin) projecting portions adapted when the bars are released to fit between them so that when the bars are drawn together the projecting parts are gripped between the bars and the latter held.

Though I have used the expression board, it will be understood that the apparatus may take the form of a frame-board or equivalent made of wood or any suitable material; but it may also be a large fixed apparatus-say, for example, a portion of the wall of a house or room and not portable.

Usually the bars would be made parallel, of equal width and thin. However, I do not bind myself in this respect and may adopt special arrangements for special purposes wherever required. The bars may be provided with cross-lines or equivalent at equal or varying distances apart to facilitate the proper spacing of the letters, &c., and, if desired, instead of being formed in long lengths they may be formed in short lengths-say, for example, as cubes-and adapted to be closed up in directions opposite or across each other,

and more than one tightening device may be employed.

For a notice-board such as above indicated a convenient arrangement is to place the bars horizontally in a frame and at the back of the bars and within the thickness of the board, and to place a screw engaging with diverging arms connected with each of the outside bars of the series, sothat the screw, having a collar to engage with one pair of diverging arms and screw-threaded to engage with the other, draws them together, and thus draws together also the two outside bars and compresses those between. A key or other removable device may be employed to turn the screw, so that unauthorized access to the board may not be obtainable. The center bar or certain bars at approved intervals may be fixed, as this facilitates the correct placing or centering of the whole device and maintains the proper parallelism of the bars. However, it will be appreciated that especially in small boards itwould be practicable not to fix any of the bars, but to connect the screw device to one of the outside bars and compress the whole of the other bars against the frame.

More than one board may be arranged in conjunction or combination, and, if desired, a single tightening device may be employed to operate all the boards simultaneously or successively. The boards may be arranged in special patterns or ornamental or other devices.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a notice-board constructed in accordance with this invention, one symbol being shown in position. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same with the cover removed.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a symbol constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of a modification. Fig. 6 is a section of the same on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section of a further modification.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

A rectangular frame A is provided, being somewhat similar to a picture-frame and channeled, as at A. Within the frame are disposed bars B, whose ends lie in the channel A in such a way that the bars are free to Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

carrying a lug 0 be moved together or apart, their ends slidthe top and bottom bars being moved apart ing in the channel A. One bar B, at or near the middle of the series of bars, is secured to the frame, as at B in order to facilitate the correct placing or centering of the remainder. To the top bar are secured the ends of two converging arms 0, which at their points of junction carry a lug C. Similar arms 0 are attached to the lowest bar B, these arms The lug C has a hole drilled in it, the lug 0 having a corresponding hole, but tapped with a screw-thread to receive the threaded end D of a spindle D, which passes through the lug C The spindle D carries a collar D disposed so as tolie on the side of the lug 0 remote from the lug C. The spindle D passes out through the frame A, the end being squared or otherwise adapted to receive a key-handle or the like to enable the spindle to be rotated.

The symbols E, Fig. 4, which are int-ended to be employed with this board, are each provided with backwardly-projecting tongues E. These symbols may be made of metal or other suitable substance and enameled, painted, embossed, or otherwise treated. The tongues E are conveniently formed in one with the body of the symbol; but they may be formed separate and attached thereto.

To employ the notice-board, the spindle D is turned so as to allow the bars B to be separated, when the symbols E are placed in position with their tongues E projecting into the interstices between the bars B. When all the symbols have been placed in position, their displacement is prevented by screwing up the spindle D, which draws together and clamps the bars B.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6 two parallel arms 0 are secured to the topmost movable bar, the arms extending down almost to the bottom of the board. Similar butshorter arms 0' are secured to the lowest bar. The free ends of the arms 0 O are turned back at right angles to form lugs '0 which are both tapped to receive right and left screw-threads cut on spindles'D. The

ends of the latter are carried through to the outside of the board to allow of their being operated. Each bar B is provided with two studs F, each of which passes through one of a series of slots 0 cut in the arms 0. By this device the bars are supported and the risk of warping is obviated. In this arrangement the method of clamping the bars is similar to that already described in reference to the construction illustrated in Fig. 1, with the exception that two clamping-spindles have to be operated in place of one. Further, in this construction the separating action is positive,

instead of being merely released.

In the modification shown in Fig. '7, which may be employed with a somewhat larger notice-board, the bars B are all free to move within the frame A, a certain amount of vertical play being allowed. Passing through screw-threaded'holes in the bottom of the frame A are two or more screwed spindles D or set-screws. Each of these carries on its inner end a block G, which abuts against the lowest bar, the other end of each screw having a crank-handle H or other device for enabling it to be rotated. By means of these screws the bars B can be clamped together and the symbols held in place. The adjacent edges of the bars are conveniently recessed and ribbed, as clearly shown in the drawings, so as to interlock and enable an additional hold to be retained on the tongues E of the symbols. The back of the board is closed in by a cover A but,if desired,a board may be made double with a series of bars B on both faces. In this case each set of bars may be controlled separately, or the same clamping device may serve to retain both sets of bars and the symbols carried by them in position.

It will be noted that by my construction the movable members can be simultaneously clamped together and held fixed with relation to the frame.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a notice-board the combination of a plurality of parallel movable members, a frame carrying these members, a fixed central parallel member, means for clamping the members together on either side of the central fixed member and symbols each having projections adapted to be clamped between the members substantially as set forth.

2. In a notice-board the combination of a plurality of parallel movable members, a frame carrying these members a central fixed member, attachments to the outside members of the series, a screw-clamping device cooperating with these attachments and constituting means for clamping the members together on either side of the fixed member and symbols each having projections adapted to be clamped between the members substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

F. T. VINE.

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